Nate Diaz on Conor McGregor rematch at UFC 200: “I swear to god, the UFC thinks it was an accident”

By Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Nate Diaz doesn’t feel he’s gotten his just due in the wake of his upset win over Conor McGregor earlier this month at UFC 196, and now that the rematch is set for UFC 200 he’s making his feelings quite clear.

In an interview with ESPN.com, Diaz went off a bit on comments from the UFC, specifically Dana White, and the booking of the rematch being essentially a favor to the Irishman.

“I swear to god, the UFC thinks it was an accident or something,” Diaz said. “They think it was an accident, and now they’re saying, ‘Let’s get Nate back in there and take him out before he gets any bigger.’ I don’t think so. I’ve fought everyone in the UFC, and they better give me some motherf***ing compliments if I win this fight.

“Since that last fight, have you heard any praise for me from Dana or the UFC? None at all,” he continued. “How much praise has that motherf***er got? I’ve never lost a fight and not wanted to fight the guy 10 minutes later. The UFC is pumping him up again, saying he wants to redeem himself and giving him all this credit for it. It’s like, dude, I’ve been obsessed with every fight I’ve ever lost. This is a gift for him to get it right away.

Regardless of his thoughts on the fight being booked and the UFC’s reactions, Diaz understands the importance of winning the rematch anyway.

“I think I can beat every fighter from my weight up to heavyweight,” Diaz said. “I really do feel like I’m better than everyone, but I feel like if I don’t go in there and do what I’m supposed to do, you can f*** up and lose to anyone. So even a guy I just beat, I need to make sure I prepare and get the job done. Kill or be killed. There’s a lot of pressure in this sport. I need to go in and make s*** happen my way.”

Penick’s Analysis: Once again, he’s not wrong. McGregor’s certainly gotten deserved praise for his handling of defeat with how much he had said prior to the fight, but Diaz hasn’t gotten the same type of respect – especially from the UFC – in victory. What he did at UFC 196 was fantastic, and though in some ways he’s getting rewarded with a headlining slot on one of the UFC’s biggest ever events, that’s also happening because of McGregor, and not he himself. Still, he’ll take what will be again another massive payday, and if he beats McGregor a second time, hopefully the UFC gives him a bit more praise and backing moving forward.

[Photo (c) Mark J. Rebilas via USA Today Sports]

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